By the time of Country Grammar's release in summer 2000, the album's title track had become a major hit single for the previously unknown St.
Louis rapper Nelly, who was making his national debut.
In particular, the song's tongue-twisting chorus is downright infectious: "I'm goin down down baby, yo' street in a Range Rover/Street sweeper, baby, cocked ready to let it go/Shimmy shimmy cocoa what? Listen to it pound/Light it up and take a puff, pass it to me now" -- or something like that.
There are many more tongue-twisting singalong moments like this on Country Grammar, such as "Ride wit Me" and "E.I.," enough to make the album an engaging overall listen, despite some pedestrian rapping at times.
More than anything, Nelly's knack for writing -- and singing -- such infectious hooks makes Country Grammar an exceptional album for its time, one that transcends regional styles like Dirty South and is universal in its (Midwestern?) pop-rap appeal.
Some of the credit should go to producer Jason "Jay E" Epperson, who showcases a lot of talent over the course of Country Grammar.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intro | Nelly | Play | 01:21 | 3 MB | 6 MB |
| 2 | St. LouieJason "Jay E" Epperson, Nelly | Nelly | Play | 04:27 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 3 | Greed, Hate, EnvyNelly, City Spud | Nelly | Play | 04:15 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 4 | Steal the ShowJason "Jay E" Epperson, Nelly | Nelly | Play | 05:27 | 12 MB | 35 MB |
| 5 | Interlude | Nelly | Play | 00:33 | 1 MB | 2 MB |
| 6 | Ride Wit MeJason "Jay E" Epperson, Nelly | Nelly | Play | 04:51 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 7 | E.I.Jason "Jay E" Epperson, Nelly | Nelly | Play | 04:45 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 8 | Thicky Thick GirlNelly | Nelly | Play | 04:34 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 9 | For MyJason "Jay E" Epperson, Nelly | Nelly | Play | 04:08 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 10 | Utha SideJason "Jay E" Epperson, Nelly | Nelly | Play | 04:33 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 11 | Tho Dem WrappasJason "Jay E" Epperson, Nelly | Nelly | Play | 04:08 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 12 | Wrap SumdenJason "Jay E" Epperson, Nelly | Nelly | Play | 04:15 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 13 | Batter UpJason "Jay E" Epperson, Nelly | Nelly | Play | 05:27 | 12 MB | 36 MB |
| 14 | Never Let 'Em C U SweatNelly | Nelly | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 15 | Luven MeNelly, City Spud | Nelly | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 16 | Outro | Nelly | Play | 00:43 | 1 MB | 2 MB |
| 17 | Country Grammar | Nelly | Play | 04:47 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 66 mins | 153 MB | |||||
| 66 mins | 439 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali | Featured Artist, Guest Artist |
| 2 | Cedric the Entertainer | Featured Artist |
| 3 | City Spud | Composer, Featured Artist, Performer |
| 4 | Kenny Dykstra | Assistant Engineer |
| 5 | Steve Eigner | Engineer |
| 6 | Jason "Jay E" Epperson | Composer |
| 7 | Kevin Law | Executive Producer |
| 8 | Murphy Lee | Featured Artist |
| 9 | Lil Wayne | Featured Artist, Guest Artist |
| 10 | Nelly | Composer, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 11 | Herb Powers | Mastering |
| 12 | St. Lunatics | Featured Artist |
| 13 | Jason Standard | Mixing |
| 14 | The Teamsters | Featured Artist |
| 15 | Richard Travali | Mixing |
Cedric The Entertainer
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |